13. Oldsmobile 442
Pontiac GTO takes all the credit for being the first modern muscle car, but not a lot of people know the Oldsmobile 442 started the same year as the Pontiac. However, Oldsmobile was much more discrete about advertising a new model, so they offered it as just an option on the Cutlass line. From the beginning, they marketed the 442 was marketed as a “gentleman’s hot rod.” It was an elegant, well-equipped muscle car with luxury appointments, reserved styling and brutal performance.
The name, 442, caused a lot of controversies back in the day, but the meaning was simple. It has a 400 CID engine, four-barrel carburetor and dual exhaust. Of course, you could order it with automatic, but if you wanted the most out of your 442, you would get the manual. In 1970, Oldsmobile introduced the biggest engine in the muscle car class, which was the 455 V8. They installed it in the 442.
This created one of the fastest cars of the era, especially with a performance-oriented W30 optional package. Today, car fans seek the 442 for its style, discontinued brand and performance, so the prices are strong. For a nice 1970 442 with the 455 engine and the desirable W30 package, be ready to pay around $70,000.
